IPA Review Articles

4 September 2023

Even if the Voice to Parliament fails in the referendum the war to divide us will be far from over, warns IPA Director of Research Morgan Begg. One of the best benefits of Australia’s Constitution is that constitutional alterations require the approval of the Australian people at a referendum. The consequence of this requirement is that proposals to change the Constitution

20 July 2023

Energy expert Vaclav Smil clearly explains why ‘net zero by 2050’ is simply impossible, writes public policy analyst Tristan Prasser. Have you ever wondered how the world will transition to an all-renewable future? Or whether it is even possible? Have you ever thought about why we have fewer famines today despite there being more people than ever before, and what

6 June 2023

David Kemp’s magnum opus imparts hope that Australian liberal democracy can adapt to tackle this century’s many challenges, writes IPA Senior Fellow Richard Allsop. David Kemp’s now complete multi-volume masterpiece is the perfect antidote to any sense of despair readers with a liberal disposition might be feeling at the state of politics and society in Australia in the 2020s. The

16 May 2023

An economist’s research shows the benefits of well-managed migration programs, and the downside of open borders, writes IPA Executive Director Scott Hargreaves. This book is not specifically about Australian culture or our immigration policies, but should be compulsory reading for anyone concerned with either or both. Talking about immigration, or what kind of culture we have or want in Australia,

24 April 2023

The Swedes proved an alleged crisis—whether COVID or, say, climate change—is no excuse for curtailing our freedom, argues public policy analyst Scott Prasser. Sweden—with its extensive government regulation and social engineering—used to seem to me to be like the world’s largest prison, a sort of real-life version of that 1960s British TV series, The Prisoner, about a make-believe, contrived village

21 March 2023

A new memoir provides a first-hand account of why Mao’s attempt to communise China was a blooming disaster, writes IPA Membership Officer Claire Peter-Budge. There is a line often heard in political and social justice circles which speaks of being on the “right side of history”. This notion is evoked when those behind it are challenged in situations such as

20 December 2022

Two new books are right to warn we should be alert and alarmed by the military threat China poses to Australia, advises Paul Monk. The literature on our strategic dilemmas regarding China is accumulating. To our credit, as an open society, it runs the gamut from James Curran or Stan Grant arguing that Australia’s anxieties about China are rooted in

20 December 2022

The conservative battle to win back lost ground here and abroad requires renewal and entering new territories, argues Sydney-based writer and cultural critic Adrian Nguyen. Centre-right parties and governments across the West have recently proven to be disappointments, especially as a consequence of forgetting the core values that made them unique and strong. Soon after delivering a long-delayed Brexit, the

20 December 2022

If educator and novelist John Marsden agrees our kids should be free to take risks; why not also adults?, wonders IPA Adjunct Fellow Cian Hussey. How ironic for a book called Take Risks to come out at the height of the panic-driven response to COVID. As former Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on numerous occasions, we adopted a ‘safety only’

19 October 2022

We must defend Western Civilisation so all of humanity can continue to be enriched, argues author and former intelligence analyst Paul Monk. Douglas Murray is a wonderfully free spirit who lucidly tackles the manias of political correctness with erudition, panache and limpid reasoning. At just 43 years of age, he is a ‘conservative’ and courageous author in the era of